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Denied

The veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain from May 6, 1993 to May 17, 1996 was denied. The claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain effective May 18, 1996 was also denied.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

Claimed conditions
lumbosacral strain
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
40%
Decision date
March 31, 2003
Citation
0306165

Veterans Law Judge

R. F. WILLIAMS

Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0306165.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

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